31 Aralık 2012 Pazartesi

We're #1 In insurance premiums

To contact us Click HERE
That's because Texas republicans love their cronies and promoting crony welfare.
Texas homeowners are still paying the highest insurance premiums in the nation, although residents of two other Gulf Coast states are paying almost as much, new figures from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners show.

The average annual cost of the most commonly sold policy in Texas in 2010 was listed at $1,560, which is well above the national average of $909 and about 3.2 percent more than the group’s figures showed last year. Eleven states had average premiums higher than $1,000 a year — including Louisiana at $1,546 and Florida at $1,544.

Poor Perry, nobody's darling anymore.

To contact us Click HERE
So, no winky, winky on Perry's pension greed?
Gov. Rick Perry was at the height of his power in 2011 when the most Republican Texas Legislature in modern times enacted deep spending cuts and handed him one victory after another.

But after a botched run for the presidency and growing disenchantment among Tea Party activists, Perry is facing some potentially awkward policy discussions when the Legislature convenes in January, as well as deeper scrutiny of an administration that has endured for 12 years.

For starters, fellow Republicans want to ban a provision Perry has used to “double dip” — taking both his salary and his state pension — a benefit that has boosted his earnings by more than $90,000 a year. Rep. Jason Isaac, R-Dripping Springs, has filed a bill to end the perk, reserved for long-serving elected officials. It would not apply retroactively to the governor.

The weekly roundup

To contact us Click HERE
The Texas Progressive Alliance wishes everyone a safe and happy holiday as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff discusses where the redistricting and voter ID lawsuits stand with the Supreme Court.

BossKitty at TruthHugger enjoyed a fiery sunrise on Apocalypse Morning. But, the Sunday morning talk shows laid the cat's ears back in anger, I have a few NRA Whack-A-Mole Questions.

WCNews at Eye on Williamson says that Perry and the wing nuts latest privatization scheme to be exposed is just the latest instance of The scam that's always been there for everyone to see.

The legal and moral justification for homophobia, as expressed by Father and Son Scalia, is relayed by PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants you to know that the odious Aaron Peña is an official sellout and Rick Perry is no longer universally loved by the Tea Party.

With Republican Tim Scott of South Carolina set to become the fifth Black post-reconstruction U.S. Senator, Neil at Texas Liberal posted photos and links about Mr. Scott and the four who came before him.

John's Last Christmas

To contact us Click HERE
The last Christmas John enjoyed was in 2004. He spent with his mom, sisters, brother in law, neice, nephew and great nephew. This is a picture of John playing with Mega Blocks with his great nephew, Connor who was only 1 year old at the time.
The only memories Connor has now of his Great Uncle "Greg" (John) is of him lying in his hospital bed at Shands and spending many hours at the hospital visiting him and getting to know all the wonderful nurses and hospital staff. No child should have to have such memories of a loved one.

John spent Christmas 2005 in a hospital bed at Shands Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. thanks to JSO. What a wonderfull bunch of law enforcement officers! NOT!!!

Subscribe to John Laughon: Jacksonville, Fl. Inmate Brutally Beaten; His Family Wants Answers

City, JSO Want Gag Order on Inmate's Family

To contact us Click HERE
City, JSO Want Gag Order on Inmate's Family



John Laughon



Ginger Laughon

10/17/2006 11pm report

By Lindy Thackston
First Coast News

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- First Coast News is looking into why the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is trying to keep a First Coast mother from talking.

Ginger Laughon claims her son was beaten into a vegetative state while in the custody of correctional officers in February 2005.

Now, JSO and the City are asking for a gag order, arguing they may not get a fair trial.

Pictures family members say they took of John Laughon in the hospital after a struggle with officers show the 37-year-old with several bruises.

The family attorney told First Coast News that Laughon had broken ribs, collapsed lungs, and bleeding in the brain and chest cavity.

Laughon was serving a six month sentence on drug charges.

His mom says he is now in a persistent vegetative state that could last his lifetime.

Laughon is now on a hospital bed at his mother's house.

"I don't know if he's going to be better," Ginger Laughon told First Coast News earlier this year. "They've really taken his whole life away from him. He can't do anything."

She claims her son was assaulted by officers.

Documents from Shands Hospital show the Emergency Room doctor checked the box for "assault."

Last year, JSO made a statement, saying Laughon left the jail with minor injuries.

"There were no outward signs of visible injuries requiring medical attention, but he was transported to Shands because of his mental health condition," said JSO Chief Steve Weintraub in February 2005.

Since that time, Ginger Laughon and her attorney, Sean Cronin, have been outspoken.

First Coast News has obtained a motion, filed on behalf of JSO and the City of Jacksonville, requesting a gag order on Ginger Laughon and Sean Cronin.

The motion claims "the fairness of the trial is seriously threatened."

Howard Maltz represents the City and JSO.

Maltz would not comment on the motion on camera, saying it defeats the purpose of filing a motion for a gag order.

Maltz did say on the phone that "it's inappropriate for certain lawyers to be trying a case in the media."

Maltz would not elaborate.

NOTES: What is JSO trying to hide? They know if their officers and guards start feeling the heat someone will come forward!

Subscribe to John Laughon: Jacksonville, Fl. Inmate Brutally Beaten; His Family Wants Answers

27 Aralık 2012 Perşembe

Corpus Christi Caller Times slams Perry's slush fund

To contact us Click HERE
George Bush was big on using government for his cronies. Perry followed his lead. Voters thought they were approving money for cancer research.
When are all of these unsettling events surrounding what was to be a noble step forward in the fight against cancer going to have more serious consequences?

How long is it going to be before the members of the foundation board for CPRIT start resigning?

What will happen to CPRIT if the state Legislature gets into the game?

What long-term effects will this story about CPRIT, that should not be happening, have on future efforts to fund much-needed research with Texas taxpayer dollars?

What kind of damage is being done to the support of science by the public and our ability to attract our brightest students to careers in science?

Today, there remains funding on the order of $2.2 billion to be dispersed by CPRIT for cancer research. Until all investigations are completed and any and all legal actions that may arise out of the findings of such investigations are finalized, it is suggested that further disbursement of funds by CPRIT be suspended.

We're #1 In insurance premiums

To contact us Click HERE
That's because Texas republicans love their cronies and promoting crony welfare.
Texas homeowners are still paying the highest insurance premiums in the nation, although residents of two other Gulf Coast states are paying almost as much, new figures from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners show.

The average annual cost of the most commonly sold policy in Texas in 2010 was listed at $1,560, which is well above the national average of $909 and about 3.2 percent more than the group’s figures showed last year. Eleven states had average premiums higher than $1,000 a year — including Louisiana at $1,546 and Florida at $1,544.

Poor Perry, nobody's darling anymore.

To contact us Click HERE
So, no winky, winky on Perry's pension greed?
Gov. Rick Perry was at the height of his power in 2011 when the most Republican Texas Legislature in modern times enacted deep spending cuts and handed him one victory after another.

But after a botched run for the presidency and growing disenchantment among Tea Party activists, Perry is facing some potentially awkward policy discussions when the Legislature convenes in January, as well as deeper scrutiny of an administration that has endured for 12 years.

For starters, fellow Republicans want to ban a provision Perry has used to “double dip” — taking both his salary and his state pension — a benefit that has boosted his earnings by more than $90,000 a year. Rep. Jason Isaac, R-Dripping Springs, has filed a bill to end the perk, reserved for long-serving elected officials. It would not apply retroactively to the governor.

John's Last Christmas

To contact us Click HERE
The last Christmas John enjoyed was in 2004. He spent with his mom, sisters, brother in law, neice, nephew and great nephew. This is a picture of John playing with Mega Blocks with his great nephew, Connor who was only 1 year old at the time.
The only memories Connor has now of his Great Uncle "Greg" (John) is of him lying in his hospital bed at Shands and spending many hours at the hospital visiting him and getting to know all the wonderful nurses and hospital staff. No child should have to have such memories of a loved one.

John spent Christmas 2005 in a hospital bed at Shands Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. thanks to JSO. What a wonderfull bunch of law enforcement officers! NOT!!!

Subscribe to John Laughon: Jacksonville, Fl. Inmate Brutally Beaten; His Family Wants Answers

City, JSO Want Gag Order on Inmate's Family

To contact us Click HERE
City, JSO Want Gag Order on Inmate's Family



John Laughon



Ginger Laughon

10/17/2006 11pm report

By Lindy Thackston
First Coast News

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- First Coast News is looking into why the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is trying to keep a First Coast mother from talking.

Ginger Laughon claims her son was beaten into a vegetative state while in the custody of correctional officers in February 2005.

Now, JSO and the City are asking for a gag order, arguing they may not get a fair trial.

Pictures family members say they took of John Laughon in the hospital after a struggle with officers show the 37-year-old with several bruises.

The family attorney told First Coast News that Laughon had broken ribs, collapsed lungs, and bleeding in the brain and chest cavity.

Laughon was serving a six month sentence on drug charges.

His mom says he is now in a persistent vegetative state that could last his lifetime.

Laughon is now on a hospital bed at his mother's house.

"I don't know if he's going to be better," Ginger Laughon told First Coast News earlier this year. "They've really taken his whole life away from him. He can't do anything."

She claims her son was assaulted by officers.

Documents from Shands Hospital show the Emergency Room doctor checked the box for "assault."

Last year, JSO made a statement, saying Laughon left the jail with minor injuries.

"There were no outward signs of visible injuries requiring medical attention, but he was transported to Shands because of his mental health condition," said JSO Chief Steve Weintraub in February 2005.

Since that time, Ginger Laughon and her attorney, Sean Cronin, have been outspoken.

First Coast News has obtained a motion, filed on behalf of JSO and the City of Jacksonville, requesting a gag order on Ginger Laughon and Sean Cronin.

The motion claims "the fairness of the trial is seriously threatened."

Howard Maltz represents the City and JSO.

Maltz would not comment on the motion on camera, saying it defeats the purpose of filing a motion for a gag order.

Maltz did say on the phone that "it's inappropriate for certain lawyers to be trying a case in the media."

Maltz would not elaborate.

NOTES: What is JSO trying to hide? They know if their officers and guards start feeling the heat someone will come forward!

Subscribe to John Laughon: Jacksonville, Fl. Inmate Brutally Beaten; His Family Wants Answers

20 Aralık 2012 Perşembe

Corpus Christi Caller Times slams Perry's slush fund

To contact us Click HERE
George Bush was big on using government for his cronies. Perry followed his lead. Voters thought they were approving money for cancer research.
When are all of these unsettling events surrounding what was to be a noble step forward in the fight against cancer going to have more serious consequences?

How long is it going to be before the members of the foundation board for CPRIT start resigning?

What will happen to CPRIT if the state Legislature gets into the game?

What long-term effects will this story about CPRIT, that should not be happening, have on future efforts to fund much-needed research with Texas taxpayer dollars?

What kind of damage is being done to the support of science by the public and our ability to attract our brightest students to careers in science?

Today, there remains funding on the order of $2.2 billion to be dispersed by CPRIT for cancer research. Until all investigations are completed and any and all legal actions that may arise out of the findings of such investigations are finalized, it is suggested that further disbursement of funds by CPRIT be suspended.

We're #1 In insurance premiums

To contact us Click HERE
That's because Texas republicans love their cronies and promoting crony welfare.
Texas homeowners are still paying the highest insurance premiums in the nation, although residents of two other Gulf Coast states are paying almost as much, new figures from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners show.

The average annual cost of the most commonly sold policy in Texas in 2010 was listed at $1,560, which is well above the national average of $909 and about 3.2 percent more than the group’s figures showed last year. Eleven states had average premiums higher than $1,000 a year — including Louisiana at $1,546 and Florida at $1,544.

Aaron Peña is officially a lobbyist

To contact us Click HERE
Now he gets officially reimbursed for selling people out.
State Rep. Aaron Peña has announced he will go into lobbying and communications when he retires next month.

The Edinburg Republican is setting up his own lobby firm, to be called Rubicon Strategies and Governmental Affairs. He is also joining Crosswind Media & Public Relations, which handles public relations and media strategies for governmental and corporate clients.

John's Last Christmas

To contact us Click HERE
The last Christmas John enjoyed was in 2004. He spent with his mom, sisters, brother in law, neice, nephew and great nephew. This is a picture of John playing with Mega Blocks with his great nephew, Connor who was only 1 year old at the time.
The only memories Connor has now of his Great Uncle "Greg" (John) is of him lying in his hospital bed at Shands and spending many hours at the hospital visiting him and getting to know all the wonderful nurses and hospital staff. No child should have to have such memories of a loved one.

John spent Christmas 2005 in a hospital bed at Shands Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. thanks to JSO. What a wonderfull bunch of law enforcement officers! NOT!!!

Subscribe to John Laughon: Jacksonville, Fl. Inmate Brutally Beaten; His Family Wants Answers

City, JSO Want Gag Order on Inmate's Family

To contact us Click HERE
City, JSO Want Gag Order on Inmate's Family



John Laughon



Ginger Laughon

10/17/2006 11pm report

By Lindy Thackston
First Coast News

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- First Coast News is looking into why the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is trying to keep a First Coast mother from talking.

Ginger Laughon claims her son was beaten into a vegetative state while in the custody of correctional officers in February 2005.

Now, JSO and the City are asking for a gag order, arguing they may not get a fair trial.

Pictures family members say they took of John Laughon in the hospital after a struggle with officers show the 37-year-old with several bruises.

The family attorney told First Coast News that Laughon had broken ribs, collapsed lungs, and bleeding in the brain and chest cavity.

Laughon was serving a six month sentence on drug charges.

His mom says he is now in a persistent vegetative state that could last his lifetime.

Laughon is now on a hospital bed at his mother's house.

"I don't know if he's going to be better," Ginger Laughon told First Coast News earlier this year. "They've really taken his whole life away from him. He can't do anything."

She claims her son was assaulted by officers.

Documents from Shands Hospital show the Emergency Room doctor checked the box for "assault."

Last year, JSO made a statement, saying Laughon left the jail with minor injuries.

"There were no outward signs of visible injuries requiring medical attention, but he was transported to Shands because of his mental health condition," said JSO Chief Steve Weintraub in February 2005.

Since that time, Ginger Laughon and her attorney, Sean Cronin, have been outspoken.

First Coast News has obtained a motion, filed on behalf of JSO and the City of Jacksonville, requesting a gag order on Ginger Laughon and Sean Cronin.

The motion claims "the fairness of the trial is seriously threatened."

Howard Maltz represents the City and JSO.

Maltz would not comment on the motion on camera, saying it defeats the purpose of filing a motion for a gag order.

Maltz did say on the phone that "it's inappropriate for certain lawyers to be trying a case in the media."

Maltz would not elaborate.

NOTES: What is JSO trying to hide? They know if their officers and guards start feeling the heat someone will come forward!

Subscribe to John Laughon: Jacksonville, Fl. Inmate Brutally Beaten; His Family Wants Answers

16 Aralık 2012 Pazar

Why is 'George P. Bush set to rise in GOP politics?'

To contact us Click HERE
Because republicans love inherited privilege. And you just thought they hated minorities and women. That too.
One Texas Republican, who asked not to be identified by name, called Bush’s plans to run for office “exciting” for the state’s GOP.

“It’s exciting that the younger generation wants to get involved in Texas politics,” he said. “We need fresh faces and new leaders.”
Reread that last sentence. Fresh faces with old republican family names.

Emails from Citizens Medical Center's CEO use racist language

To contact us Click HERE
I'll bet he's a republican.
More than 200 members of a Houston ethnic group want Citizens Medical Center's CEO dismissed for racial discrimination.

The letter, signed by members of the Indo-American Community of Greater Houston, stems from a nearly three-year lawsuit involving three cardiologists and hospital leadership.

The lawsuit details a series of inter-departmental emails in which CEO David Brown referred to the cardiologists - Drs. Ajay Gaalla, Harish Chandna and Dakshesh Parikh - as "Indians" and leadership as "cowboys." The emails also include references to a plan for "getting the Indians off the reservation."

It's the Monday TPA blog roundup

To contact us Click HERE
The Texas Progressive Alliance is making a list and checking it twice as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff discredits the myth that straight ticket voting was the key to judicial races in Harris County.

Government haters are in charge of our government. WCNews at Eye on Williamson shows that This is what happens when people who hate government are put in charge of it.

Kyle Janek, Rick Perry's recent appointee to head the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, refuses to believe the 2010 census figures that show Texas as having the highest number of uninsured adults in the nation. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs is almost without words about the Reality Derangement Syndrome demonstrated by Republicans (particularly Texas Republicans).

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is not surprised that John Boehner picked a Texas dunderhead to lead the House Science and Technology committee - climate change skeptic and all around idiot Lamar Smith.

Neil at Texas Liberal says that 2014 Republican Lt. Governor candidate Jerry Patterson is prepared to shoot. This is so even though Mr. Patterson is not very clear about his intended target.

What crony capitalism stuff is Perry's slush fund hiding?

To contact us Click HERE
I'd like to see those emails.
The head of the governing board for Texas’ cancer-fighting agency said Thursday that he wants an investigation into missing emails about an $11 million grant to a Dallas biotechnology firm.

“The present situation is unacceptable,” said Jimmy Mansour, the Oversight Committee chairman of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

Mansour’s comments came a day after CPRIT’s compliance officer said two former high-ranking agency officials and a business expert who reviewed grant applications had written emails about Peloton Biotherapeutics in 2010.

Hidalgo County sheriff's son arrested in drug trafficking case

To contact us Click HERE
It is past time to legalize drugs. Hurt the cartels. Reduce public corruption. Help drug addicts. Limit violence.
Federal authorities have arrested four local law enforcement officers accused of guarding drug loads in a multi-agency corruption probe that has rocked the family of Hidalgo County’s top cop.

Jonathan Treviño, 28, turned himself in a second time to FBI agents in McAllen on Thursday — less than a day after agents let him walk free as a fellow Mission narcotics investigator already was in handcuffs — admitting to guarding narcotics traffickers’ loads through Hidalgo County, federal authorities said. The son of Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño is set to appear in federal court Friday morning to face charges of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

Formally charged Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dorina Ramos was Alexis Espinoza, 29, a partner of Jonathan Treviño at Mission PD. Both men served on the Panama Unit, a joint narcotics task force between the department and the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office, a criminal complaint states.

12 Aralık 2012 Çarşamba

It's the Monday TPA blog roundup

To contact us Click HERE
The Texas Progressive Alliance is making a list and checking it twice as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff discredits the myth that straight ticket voting was the key to judicial races in Harris County.

Government haters are in charge of our government. WCNews at Eye on Williamson shows that This is what happens when people who hate government are put in charge of it.

Kyle Janek, Rick Perry's recent appointee to head the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, refuses to believe the 2010 census figures that show Texas as having the highest number of uninsured adults in the nation. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs is almost without words about the Reality Derangement Syndrome demonstrated by Republicans (particularly Texas Republicans).

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is not surprised that John Boehner picked a Texas dunderhead to lead the House Science and Technology committee - climate change skeptic and all around idiot Lamar Smith.

Neil at Texas Liberal says that 2014 Republican Lt. Governor candidate Jerry Patterson is prepared to shoot. This is so even though Mr. Patterson is not very clear about his intended target.

What crony capitalism stuff is Perry's slush fund hiding?

To contact us Click HERE
I'd like to see those emails.
The head of the governing board for Texas’ cancer-fighting agency said Thursday that he wants an investigation into missing emails about an $11 million grant to a Dallas biotechnology firm.

“The present situation is unacceptable,” said Jimmy Mansour, the Oversight Committee chairman of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

Mansour’s comments came a day after CPRIT’s compliance officer said two former high-ranking agency officials and a business expert who reviewed grant applications had written emails about Peloton Biotherapeutics in 2010.

Your tax dollars going to cronies killing public education

To contact us Click HERE
That's just great
.Charter network IDEA Public Schools is among 16 winners of federal Race to the Top District grants, which will provide more than $29 million for improvements in personalized learning and the use of data.

The announcement marks the largest grant yet made to IDEA, a major recipient of other federal grant programs as well as funding from the Gates Foundation and other private donors.

“People in Washington, D.C., understand not just the great work we’re doing here in the Rio Grande Valley and at IDEA Public Schools but the tremendous need that we have here,” IDEA founder and CEO Tom Torkelson said.
Kill unions. Make teaching even lower paying. Kill public education. Check.

republicans running on hate loses voters

To contact us Click HERE
Who could have predicted that?
Republicans are in a genuine bind: Their future electoral prospects are near zero as long as they continue to lose Latinos by more than 40 points.

Yet they can’t win these voters without wholesale changes to GOP orthodoxy. They don’t need to win them outright — George W. Bush became president with 40 percent of that vote — but they need to be far better positioned than they are now.
How's that Southern Strategy workin' for ya now?

Texas women lose pay equity ground

To contact us Click HERE
You can thank greedy corporate bastards and the GOP for that.
Texas working women earned 84.8 percent as much as their male counterparts in 2011, slightly less than 85.6 percent the year before but still well above the national median of 82.2 percent and better than in neighboring states, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday.

That percentage has generally trended upward in Texas since 1997, the federal bureau said. It was around 83 percent from 2003 to 2009 before climbing sharply in 2010, it said.

11 Aralık 2012 Salı

It's the Monday TPA blog roundup

To contact us Click HERE
The Texas Progressive Alliance is making a list and checking it twice as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff discredits the myth that straight ticket voting was the key to judicial races in Harris County.

Government haters are in charge of our government. WCNews at Eye on Williamson shows that This is what happens when people who hate government are put in charge of it.

Kyle Janek, Rick Perry's recent appointee to head the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, refuses to believe the 2010 census figures that show Texas as having the highest number of uninsured adults in the nation. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs is almost without words about the Reality Derangement Syndrome demonstrated by Republicans (particularly Texas Republicans).

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is not surprised that John Boehner picked a Texas dunderhead to lead the House Science and Technology committee - climate change skeptic and all around idiot Lamar Smith.

Neil at Texas Liberal says that 2014 Republican Lt. Governor candidate Jerry Patterson is prepared to shoot. This is so even though Mr. Patterson is not very clear about his intended target.

What crony capitalism stuff is Perry's slush fund hiding?

To contact us Click HERE
I'd like to see those emails.
The head of the governing board for Texas’ cancer-fighting agency said Thursday that he wants an investigation into missing emails about an $11 million grant to a Dallas biotechnology firm.

“The present situation is unacceptable,” said Jimmy Mansour, the Oversight Committee chairman of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

Mansour’s comments came a day after CPRIT’s compliance officer said two former high-ranking agency officials and a business expert who reviewed grant applications had written emails about Peloton Biotherapeutics in 2010.

It TPA blogger roundup Monday!

To contact us Click HERE
The Texas Progressive Alliance is waiting for Rick Perry to call the special election in SD06 as it brings you this week's roundup.

Even though the economy in Texas has improved the next legislative session will be very similar to the last. WCNews at Eye on Williamson has this take, Thoughts on the upcoming session.

BossKitty at TruthHugger knows Texas is still among the United States of America ... until further notice. The DOHA COP18 Conference established only legally-binding plan for combating global warming. The big players, the US (including Texas), EU and China accepted the agreement with varying degrees of reservation. They have stopped short of accepting responsibility for damage caused by climate change. Reluctance and Reality at DOHA Climate Change Conference.

Off the Kuff notes the next step of the redistricting lawsuit has begun.

The legacy of Jack Brooks, who served southeast Texas in Congress for 42 years, is remembered by PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants you to know that the oligarchs have brought their propaganda outfit 'Fix the Debt' to Texas.

Neil at Texas Liberal noted that Houston Mayor Annise Parker is forwarding possible incidents of misconduct by Houston police officers to the federal government for review. This oversight is welcome as there have been a number of recent cases of Houston police either shooting or using significant levels of force on unarmed persons.

TEA lowers standards for college readiness

To contact us Click HERE
Hey, republicans don't want you to go to college anyway.
The Texas Education Agency is recommending lowering the threshold for which students it deems “college ready,” a move that somecalled a retreat from the high academic standards laid out in state law.

Gloria Zyskowski, the agency’s director of student assessment, testified at the ongoing school finance trial Monday that the students who meet the “satisfactory” or passing standard on the state’s standardized tests should be considered college ready.

Previously, the agency had said the “advanced” standard on the end-of-course tests amounted to college readiness. Last spring, only 3 percent of the ninth-graders who took the English I exam achieved the advanced standard, though that test is calibrated to demonstrate whether the student is ready for the next course rather than college.

Who knew? Redstate hates Texans for Lawsuit Reform

To contact us Click HERE
We have something in common. Of course, I hate TLR because they want to deny access to the courts. Redstate has a different view.
Texans For Lawsuit Reform is the embodiment of the Texas political establishment that serves as the biggest obstacle to passing the level of conservative public policy that our base expects. The redistricting battle is not the only example where TLR has worked actively to undermine the work of conservative activists and Tea Party groups. During the recent Republican primary for US Senate between David Dewhurst and Ted Cruz, TLR’s leadership and biggest donors spent millions to dollars to fund David Dewhurst’s smear campaign against Ted Cruz. Thanks to an unprecedented grassroots organization and excitement among the conservative base, these attacks were ultimately unsuccessful.

8 Aralık 2012 Cumartesi

It's time for the TPA blog roundup!

To contact us Click HERE
The Texas Progressive Alliance is rested and ready after the holiday weekend as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff notes that for the second election in a row, the city of Houston voted 61% for President Obama. Keep that in mind the next time someone tries to tell you that Texas is Austin surrounded by a bunch of Republicans.

Success for Democrats in Williamson County has been few and far between in recent years, and has only come through hard work. WCNews at Eye on Williamson points out that little has changed, It won't just happen...(continued).

Barack Obama's re-election to the presidency, just as his first election, is defined in large measure by the pathetic quality of his competition. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs observes that while Republicans have only themselves to blame for their circumstances, maybe it's time for the victors to help them work through their bitterness.

BossKitty at TruthHugger believes it's time to work on those we elected, to legislate responsible actions and stop polluting America's water. Water Supply and Demand, Cause and Effect.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes that establishment Republicans hate their base. I can understand that.

Neil at Texas Liberal said that the table of self-respect is always set. The question is will people show up?

Why is 'George P. Bush set to rise in GOP politics?'

To contact us Click HERE
Because republicans love inherited privilege. And you just thought they hated minorities and women. That too.
One Texas Republican, who asked not to be identified by name, called Bush’s plans to run for office “exciting” for the state’s GOP.

“It’s exciting that the younger generation wants to get involved in Texas politics,” he said. “We need fresh faces and new leaders.”
Reread that last sentence. Fresh faces with old republican family names.

Emails from Citizens Medical Center's CEO use racist language

To contact us Click HERE
I'll bet he's a republican.
More than 200 members of a Houston ethnic group want Citizens Medical Center's CEO dismissed for racial discrimination.

The letter, signed by members of the Indo-American Community of Greater Houston, stems from a nearly three-year lawsuit involving three cardiologists and hospital leadership.

The lawsuit details a series of inter-departmental emails in which CEO David Brown referred to the cardiologists - Drs. Ajay Gaalla, Harish Chandna and Dakshesh Parikh - as "Indians" and leadership as "cowboys." The emails also include references to a plan for "getting the Indians off the reservation."

It's the Monday TPA blog roundup

To contact us Click HERE
The Texas Progressive Alliance is making a list and checking it twice as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff discredits the myth that straight ticket voting was the key to judicial races in Harris County.

Government haters are in charge of our government. WCNews at Eye on Williamson shows that This is what happens when people who hate government are put in charge of it.

Kyle Janek, Rick Perry's recent appointee to head the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, refuses to believe the 2010 census figures that show Texas as having the highest number of uninsured adults in the nation. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs is almost without words about the Reality Derangement Syndrome demonstrated by Republicans (particularly Texas Republicans).

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is not surprised that John Boehner picked a Texas dunderhead to lead the House Science and Technology committee - climate change skeptic and all around idiot Lamar Smith.

Neil at Texas Liberal says that 2014 Republican Lt. Governor candidate Jerry Patterson is prepared to shoot. This is so even though Mr. Patterson is not very clear about his intended target.

What crony capitalism stuff is Perry's slush fund hiding?

To contact us Click HERE
I'd like to see those emails.
The head of the governing board for Texas’ cancer-fighting agency said Thursday that he wants an investigation into missing emails about an $11 million grant to a Dallas biotechnology firm.

“The present situation is unacceptable,” said Jimmy Mansour, the Oversight Committee chairman of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

Mansour’s comments came a day after CPRIT’s compliance officer said two former high-ranking agency officials and a business expert who reviewed grant applications had written emails about Peloton Biotherapeutics in 2010.

7 Aralık 2012 Cuma

republicans spend $13M on cronies to oversee windstorm association

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republicans hate oversight, but love their cronies. Promoting the general welfare? Not on their watch.
Maintaining administrative oversight over the struggling Texas Windstorm Insurance Association is estimated to cost policyholders, whose premiums pay for it, almost $13 million through the end of 2013.

...

Between Aug. 1, 2011, and Oct. 25, the association paid five vendors nearly $2.3 million, according to information obtained through a request for public information.
They are spending over 6% of the trust fund on their friends.

Police interrogations should be recorded

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Technology is cheap enough now to do this cost effectively. Law enforcement would benefit by having a copy of an interrogation to review. Citizens would be protected with access to videos of their interrogation. Who wouldn't like this? Abusive cops.
“Recording an interrogation is the most accurate means of preserving what happened in an interrogation room and what a suspect actually said,” Ellis said in an email.

Texas law already requires in most cases that investigators tape the confession itself. But in the wake of a handful of exonerations involving false confessions, defense attorneys and other advocates worry that without a recording of the entire interrogation, they may never know how a false confession occurred. Nineteen other states and the District of Columbia already require such recordings.

Blow back on Perry for crony deal

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No review necessary.
The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas ratified the $11 million award to Peloton Therapeutics in June 2010. Last week, the agency disclosed that the firm’s proposal had not received the required business or scientific review.
Will a simple apology do? I don't think so.
The chief executive of the state’s cancer-fighting agency apologized Wednesday for mistakes, including awarding $11 million of taxpayer money to a biotech firm two years ago without the required review by business and scientific experts.
Even if it was a real apology instead of a republican weasel one.

Dewhurst works to kill public education

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First, get a system in place to mark schools as failing. Then, don't fix these schools. Close them. Cha ching money to cronies. Poor kids stay uneducated. Oligarchs love to feel superior.
Texas must find a way to speed up the process for closing low-performing public schools that have students "trapped," Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said Thursday.
Texas must find a way to close these rich assholes down.

What crony capitalism stuff is Perry's slush fund hiding?

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I'd like to see those emails.
The head of the governing board for Texas’ cancer-fighting agency said Thursday that he wants an investigation into missing emails about an $11 million grant to a Dallas biotechnology firm.

“The present situation is unacceptable,” said Jimmy Mansour, the Oversight Committee chairman of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

Mansour’s comments came a day after CPRIT’s compliance officer said two former high-ranking agency officials and a business expert who reviewed grant applications had written emails about Peloton Biotherapeutics in 2010.

30 Kasım 2012 Cuma

I understand John Cornyn's tactics in 2012

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John Cornyn bungled the republican senate races and lost two seats instead of gaining seats. Cornyn then got promoted. Hmmmm. Fewer senators. Fewer competitors. Sounds like republican logic to me. Cornyn, who voted along with every male republican in the senate to enable rapists, doesn't mention women in his list of republican voter targets.
During an interview in his Senate hideaway in the basement of the Capitol, Cornyn told POLITICO that the 2012 elections exposed that the GOP had a “brand problem” and a “tactical problem.”

“How can we convey what I believe is the true image, that Republicans actually do care about people of all races, ethnicities, and classes in America?” Cornyn said as his party began charting a way out of the wilderness after last week’s devastating losses.
republicans have been actively crushing workers, destroying safety nets and oozing racism. The GOP 'true image' is ugly. Perhaps Cornyn means the propaganda image he's trying to create.

It's time for the TPA blog roundup!

To contact us Click HERE
The Texas Progressive Alliance is rested and ready after the holiday weekend as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff notes that for the second election in a row, the city of Houston voted 61% for President Obama. Keep that in mind the next time someone tries to tell you that Texas is Austin surrounded by a bunch of Republicans.

Success for Democrats in Williamson County has been few and far between in recent years, and has only come through hard work. WCNews at Eye on Williamson points out that little has changed, It won't just happen...(continued).

Barack Obama's re-election to the presidency, just as his first election, is defined in large measure by the pathetic quality of his competition. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs observes that while Republicans have only themselves to blame for their circumstances, maybe it's time for the victors to help them work through their bitterness.

BossKitty at TruthHugger believes it's time to work on those we elected, to legislate responsible actions and stop polluting America's water. Water Supply and Demand, Cause and Effect.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes that establishment Republicans hate their base. I can understand that.

Neil at Texas Liberal said that the table of self-respect is always set. The question is will people show up?

Why is 'George P. Bush set to rise in GOP politics?'

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Because republicans love inherited privilege. And you just thought they hated minorities and women. That too.
One Texas Republican, who asked not to be identified by name, called Bush’s plans to run for office “exciting” for the state’s GOP.

“It’s exciting that the younger generation wants to get involved in Texas politics,” he said. “We need fresh faces and new leaders.”
Reread that last sentence. Fresh faces with old republican family names.

Why did this Texas judge think he was above the law?

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He finally paid. Yes, he is a republican.
The longest serving judge on Texas’ highest criminal court has a warrant out for his arrest, issued by an Austin municipal court judge, for failure to pay a 2008 speeding ticket, the American-Statesman has found.

The arrest warrant for Lawrence Meyers, a 19-year judge on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, has been active since Oct. 20 and is the third time Meyers has faced possible arrest in his long-running battle over a $193 ticket for driving 19 miles over the speed limit on Interstate 35.

The case - repeatedly delayed at Meyers’ request and by legal challenges rarely pursued in traffic court - appeared to be over on Aug. 8, when Meyers pleaded guilty to speeding and was given two months to pay what had become a $481 fine, including court costs and related fees.

But when officials didn’t receive payment, Municipal Judge Ferdinand D. Clervi signed the warrant for Meyers’ arrest, meaning he could be taken to Travis County Jail at any time.

Emails from Citizens Medical Center's CEO use racist language

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I'll bet he's a republican.
More than 200 members of a Houston ethnic group want Citizens Medical Center's CEO dismissed for racial discrimination.

The letter, signed by members of the Indo-American Community of Greater Houston, stems from a nearly three-year lawsuit involving three cardiologists and hospital leadership.

The lawsuit details a series of inter-departmental emails in which CEO David Brown referred to the cardiologists - Drs. Ajay Gaalla, Harish Chandna and Dakshesh Parikh - as "Indians" and leadership as "cowboys." The emails also include references to a plan for "getting the Indians off the reservation."

29 Kasım 2012 Perşembe

I understand John Cornyn's tactics in 2012

To contact us Click HERE
John Cornyn bungled the republican senate races and lost two seats instead of gaining seats. Cornyn then got promoted. Hmmmm. Fewer senators. Fewer competitors. Sounds like republican logic to me. Cornyn, who voted along with every male republican in the senate to enable rapists, doesn't mention women in his list of republican voter targets.
During an interview in his Senate hideaway in the basement of the Capitol, Cornyn told POLITICO that the 2012 elections exposed that the GOP had a “brand problem” and a “tactical problem.”

“How can we convey what I believe is the true image, that Republicans actually do care about people of all races, ethnicities, and classes in America?” Cornyn said as his party began charting a way out of the wilderness after last week’s devastating losses.
republicans have been actively crushing workers, destroying safety nets and oozing racism. The GOP 'true image' is ugly. Perhaps Cornyn means the propaganda image he's trying to create.

It's time for the TPA blog roundup!

To contact us Click HERE
The Texas Progressive Alliance is rested and ready after the holiday weekend as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff notes that for the second election in a row, the city of Houston voted 61% for President Obama. Keep that in mind the next time someone tries to tell you that Texas is Austin surrounded by a bunch of Republicans.

Success for Democrats in Williamson County has been few and far between in recent years, and has only come through hard work. WCNews at Eye on Williamson points out that little has changed, It won't just happen...(continued).

Barack Obama's re-election to the presidency, just as his first election, is defined in large measure by the pathetic quality of his competition. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs observes that while Republicans have only themselves to blame for their circumstances, maybe it's time for the victors to help them work through their bitterness.

BossKitty at TruthHugger believes it's time to work on those we elected, to legislate responsible actions and stop polluting America's water. Water Supply and Demand, Cause and Effect.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes that establishment Republicans hate their base. I can understand that.

Neil at Texas Liberal said that the table of self-respect is always set. The question is will people show up?

Why is 'George P. Bush set to rise in GOP politics?'

To contact us Click HERE
Because republicans love inherited privilege. And you just thought they hated minorities and women. That too.
One Texas Republican, who asked not to be identified by name, called Bush’s plans to run for office “exciting” for the state’s GOP.

“It’s exciting that the younger generation wants to get involved in Texas politics,” he said. “We need fresh faces and new leaders.”
Reread that last sentence. Fresh faces with old republican family names.

John's Last Christmas

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The last Christmas John enjoyed was in 2004. He spent with his mom, sisters, brother in law, neice, nephew and great nephew. This is a picture of John playing with Mega Blocks with his great nephew, Connor who was only 1 year old at the time.
The only memories Connor has now of his Great Uncle "Greg" (John) is of him lying in his hospital bed at Shands and spending many hours at the hospital visiting him and getting to know all the wonderful nurses and hospital staff. No child should have to have such memories of a loved one.

John spent Christmas 2005 in a hospital bed at Shands Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. thanks to JSO. What a wonderfull bunch of law enforcement officers! NOT!!!

Subscribe to John Laughon: Jacksonville, Fl. Inmate Brutally Beaten; His Family Wants Answers

City, JSO Want Gag Order on Inmate's Family

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City, JSO Want Gag Order on Inmate's Family



John Laughon



Ginger Laughon

10/17/2006 11pm report

By Lindy Thackston
First Coast News

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- First Coast News is looking into why the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is trying to keep a First Coast mother from talking.

Ginger Laughon claims her son was beaten into a vegetative state while in the custody of correctional officers in February 2005.

Now, JSO and the City are asking for a gag order, arguing they may not get a fair trial.

Pictures family members say they took of John Laughon in the hospital after a struggle with officers show the 37-year-old with several bruises.

The family attorney told First Coast News that Laughon had broken ribs, collapsed lungs, and bleeding in the brain and chest cavity.

Laughon was serving a six month sentence on drug charges.

His mom says he is now in a persistent vegetative state that could last his lifetime.

Laughon is now on a hospital bed at his mother's house.

"I don't know if he's going to be better," Ginger Laughon told First Coast News earlier this year. "They've really taken his whole life away from him. He can't do anything."

She claims her son was assaulted by officers.

Documents from Shands Hospital show the Emergency Room doctor checked the box for "assault."

Last year, JSO made a statement, saying Laughon left the jail with minor injuries.

"There were no outward signs of visible injuries requiring medical attention, but he was transported to Shands because of his mental health condition," said JSO Chief Steve Weintraub in February 2005.

Since that time, Ginger Laughon and her attorney, Sean Cronin, have been outspoken.

First Coast News has obtained a motion, filed on behalf of JSO and the City of Jacksonville, requesting a gag order on Ginger Laughon and Sean Cronin.

The motion claims "the fairness of the trial is seriously threatened."

Howard Maltz represents the City and JSO.

Maltz would not comment on the motion on camera, saying it defeats the purpose of filing a motion for a gag order.

Maltz did say on the phone that "it's inappropriate for certain lawyers to be trying a case in the media."

Maltz would not elaborate.

NOTES: What is JSO trying to hide? They know if their officers and guards start feeling the heat someone will come forward!

Subscribe to John Laughon: Jacksonville, Fl. Inmate Brutally Beaten; His Family Wants Answers

28 Kasım 2012 Çarşamba

I understand John Cornyn's tactics in 2012

To contact us Click HERE
John Cornyn bungled the republican senate races and lost two seats instead of gaining seats. Cornyn then got promoted. Hmmmm. Fewer senators. Fewer competitors. Sounds like republican logic to me. Cornyn, who voted along with every male republican in the senate to enable rapists, doesn't mention women in his list of republican voter targets.
During an interview in his Senate hideaway in the basement of the Capitol, Cornyn told POLITICO that the 2012 elections exposed that the GOP had a “brand problem” and a “tactical problem.”

“How can we convey what I believe is the true image, that Republicans actually do care about people of all races, ethnicities, and classes in America?” Cornyn said as his party began charting a way out of the wilderness after last week’s devastating losses.
republicans have been actively crushing workers, destroying safety nets and oozing racism. The GOP 'true image' is ugly. Perhaps Cornyn means the propaganda image he's trying to create.

It's time for the TPA blog roundup!

To contact us Click HERE
The Texas Progressive Alliance is rested and ready after the holiday weekend as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff notes that for the second election in a row, the city of Houston voted 61% for President Obama. Keep that in mind the next time someone tries to tell you that Texas is Austin surrounded by a bunch of Republicans.

Success for Democrats in Williamson County has been few and far between in recent years, and has only come through hard work. WCNews at Eye on Williamson points out that little has changed, It won't just happen...(continued).

Barack Obama's re-election to the presidency, just as his first election, is defined in large measure by the pathetic quality of his competition. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs observes that while Republicans have only themselves to blame for their circumstances, maybe it's time for the victors to help them work through their bitterness.

BossKitty at TruthHugger believes it's time to work on those we elected, to legislate responsible actions and stop polluting America's water. Water Supply and Demand, Cause and Effect.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes that establishment Republicans hate their base. I can understand that.

Neil at Texas Liberal said that the table of self-respect is always set. The question is will people show up?

Why is 'George P. Bush set to rise in GOP politics?'

To contact us Click HERE
Because republicans love inherited privilege. And you just thought they hated minorities and women. That too.
One Texas Republican, who asked not to be identified by name, called Bush’s plans to run for office “exciting” for the state’s GOP.

“It’s exciting that the younger generation wants to get involved in Texas politics,” he said. “We need fresh faces and new leaders.”
Reread that last sentence. Fresh faces with old republican family names.